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enEuro 2016 Qualifying Wrap: Record for RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo became the leading European Championship goalscorer on Friday as his winner helped Portugal edge Armenia 1-0.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-review-ronaldo-makes-history-faroe-islands-stun-greece
The Real Madrid star and Portugal captain is now theall-time leading goalscorer in European Championship qualification and finals combined as his 23rd strike took him past Jon Dahl Tomasson and Hakan Sukur.
Ronaldo bundled the ball over the line 18 minutes from time to settle a scrappy affair at the Estadio Do Algarve to leave Portugal second in Group I.
One goal was also enough to settle things between Greece and Faroe Islands, with the latter clinchinga hugely surprising victory in Athens.
Joan Simun Edmundssongot the winner just after the hour mark to ensure the minnowstheir first victory in qualifying since 2011.
It also ensuredtheir first points of Group F as theymoved above the 2004 European champions into fifth.
For Claudio Ranieri however, the result will likely lead to more unwanted pressure as they lost a third straight qualifier on home soil to sit bottom of the pack.
World champions Germany avoided what would have been the most unlikely of upsets as they brushed aside Gibraltar 4-0 at theGrundigStadion in Nuremberg.
Germany coach Jachim Low had spoken of wanting a "big score" against a Gibraltar side made up largely of semi-professional and amateur players.
However, the world champions were limited to four, with a first-half brace from Thomas Muller and a Mario Gotze strike putting the hosts in control by half-time.
Yogan Santos' owngoalrounded off the scoringafter the hour to leave Germany second in Group D - three points behind Poland who were 4-0 winners inGeorgia.
Kamil Glik, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sebastian Mila and Arkadiusz Milik were all on target after the interval in Tbilisi to maintain the Poles' unbeaten start to the campaign.
Shaun Maloney applied the finishing touch to a slick short corner routine to help Scotland get past Republic of Ireland 1-0 at Celtic Park, while Northern Ireland fell to a 2-0 defeat against Romania - Paul Papp at the double for the hosts in Bucharest.
Zoltan Gera was Hungary's match-winner against Finland, while Nicklas Bendtner scored twice as Denmark came from a goal down to get past Serbia in their Group I encounter.
news_articleFri, 14 Nov 2014 22:58:07 +0000287305 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEuro 2016 Qualifying: Dutch welcome LatviaGuus Hiddinks faltering Netherlands side can breathe life into their Euro 2016 qualification campaign against Latvia on Sunday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-preview-struggling-dutch-welcome-latvia-gibraltar-await-german-test
Following a third-place finish at the World Cup in Brazil under Louis van Gaal, Hiddink's second spellas Dutch coach has got off to a woeful start - taking just three points from as many Group A games.
A sole win over Kazakhstan sees them third going into this weekend's clash, although defeat to Iceland last time out adds extra pressure to the visit of Marians Pahars' Latvia.
Hiddink stated he would "take the logical step" and resign if Netherlands did not win in Amsterdam, adding that "a drawwould not be acceptable" either.
The return of defender Ron Vlaar will serve as a boost for the Dutch, who see Iceland face Czech Republic and Turkey host Kazakhstan elsewhere in the group, with the Aston Villa captainsurprised by Hiddink's pre-matchcomments.
"I have never heard a statement such as this from a coach, certainly not from my coach,"he told NU.nl.
"But that does not affect the way I approach the game. You should make yourself do anything to win."
There has also been something of a World Cup hangover for champions Germany, who sit third in Group D going into Friday's home clash with minnows Gibraltar.
Leaders Poland visit Georgia earlier in the day with Joachim Low's men able to threaten the upper reaches of the group again if they avoid a most unlikely slip-up in Nuremberg.
"We need to concentrate throughout the game and play with a high tempo.Our aim is to take the lead as soon as possible,"explained Germany midfielderLars Bender.
Elsewhere in the pool, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland renew rivalries at Celtic Park.
Group F leaders Northern Ireland will bid to continue their perfect start against second-placed Romania in Bucharest, whileHungary hostFinland and Greece welcomethe Faroe Islands.
Elsewhere,Group H's early pacesetters meet at San Siro on Sunday as Italy entertain Croatia - with both teams taking nine points from their three games so far - asNorway travel to Azerbaijan wand Bulgaria host Malta.
England captain Wayne Rooney is set to win his 100th cap when Slovenia visit Wembley on Saturday, with Roy Hodgson's men hopingto tighten their grip on Group E with victory over theiropponents in second.
Lithuania will be able to take advantage of any England win in their clash with Switzerland - with a point potentially enough for themto go second - while Estonia take on San Marino in Serravalle.
In Group B, Chris Coleman's Wales make the tricky trip to Belgium looking to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign, while Bosnia-Herzegovina and Andorra travel to Israel and Cyprus respectively.
Andreas Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa andDani Carvajal are all unavailable for Spain'svisit of Belarus in Group C, with Vicente del Bosque eager for his relatively new-look side to avoid an upset at theEstadio Nuevo Colombino.
The likes of Nolito, Jose Callejon and Isco will hope to impress for the reigning European champions,while pool leaders Slovakia face Macedonia in Skopje and Ukraine travel to Luxembourg.
Talismanic captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic could feature for Sweden against Montenegro in Group G following his return from a heel problem,while the pool's top two Austria and Russia meet in Vienna andMoldova take onLiechtenstein.
Elsewhere, Serbia return to action for the first time since athree-point deduction following their abandoned fixture withAlbania last time out. They faceDenmark in Group Iwhile Portugal meet Armenia.
news_articleWed, 12 Nov 2014 16:41:45 +0000285890 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comPartial stadium closures for Romania, HungaryUEFA has imposed partial stadium closures and fines on Romania and Hungary after their ill-tempered Euro 2016 qualifier.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-sanctions-romania-and-hungary
The Group F clash in Bucharest - which took place on October 11 and finished 1-1 -featured 11 yellow cards, and provedequally as confrontational off the field.
Policesprayed tear gas into the National Stadium stands as fireworks and flares were let off by both sets of supporters, and Hungary fans set light to several seats after Adam Szalai's first-half goal was disallowed.
The travelling Hungarian followers have also been punished for "racist behaviour".
UEFA announced on Friday that its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body has decided thatboth countries should play their next home matches in partially closed grounds, while also fining the Romanian Football Federation €32,000 and its Hungarian counterpart €30,000.
A statement from European football's governing body revealed that Romania had been penalised for the "setting off/throwing of fireworks and missiles, use of a laser pointer [and]crowd disturbance".
Therefore, sector 122 of the National Stadium will beclosed fortheirhome qualifier against Northern Ireland next month. Travelling fans will not be affected, however.
Hungary, meanwhile, have been sanctioned for "racist behaviour, setting off/throwing fireworks and missiles [and] crowd disturbances".
As such, a minimum of 2,500 seats at the Florian Albert Stadion will be closed off for their qualifier against Finland on November 14.
Hungary have also been ordered to pay for the damage to Bucharest's National Stadium caused by their fanswithin 30 days.
Both sets of UEFA sanctions are open to appeal.
news_articleFri, 31 Oct 2014 17:46:40 +0000278928 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEuro 2016 Qualifying Wrap: OShea strikes lateGermany suffered another blow in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-review-germany-suffer-another-setback-scotland-hold-poland
The world champions, who lost2-0 toPoland in their previousGroup D fixture onSaturday, appearedto have put a below-parfirst-half display behind them when Toni Kroos netted a 71st-minute opener.
Yet Ireland, confident following winsintheir opening two qualifiers, stunned their more illustrious hosts deep into second-half stoppage-time.
Jeff Hendrick senta searching cross from fellowsubstitute Wes Hoolahan back across goal and John O'Shea - earninghis 100th cap -showed excellent anticipation to direct the ball low into the bottom-right cornerto the delight of the travelling support.
Ireland are now level with Poland on seven points at the top of the group - three ahead of Germany and Scotland.
Having claimed a famous victory over Germany on Saturday, Poland were unable to maintain that momentum but managed topickup a hard-fought 2-2draw against Scotland in Warsaw.
The home fans had barely finished celebrating the win against their neighbours whenKrzysztof Maczynski fired in off the right-hand post after 12 minutes, but Shaun Maloney brought them back down to earth with a bump when he struck six minutes later.
Scotland went ahead against the run of play thanks to Steven Naismith's finish froma James Morrison free-kick, butArkadiusz Milik - a thorn in the side of the Scottish defence throughout the second half and a scorer against Germany three days earlier- pulled Poland level with a sublime strike 14 minutes from time.
Georgia triumphed 3-0 in Gibraltar in the group's remaining fixture.
In Group I, Cristiano Ronaldo scored in injury-time to earn Portugal their first points of the campaign in a 1-0 win atDenmark, while the match between Serbia and Albania wasabandoned.
Referee Martin Atkinson was forced to bring proceedings to a halt four minutes before half-time in Belgrade, with the score at 0-0, whena drone flew over the pitchcarrying a flag featuring Albanian national symbols.
Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic jumped to bring the flagdown, sparking scuffles between players from both sides, while a number of supporters also entered the field of play as an unsavoury melee escalated.
Riot police subsequently surrounded the pitch after the players had been taken from the field and the match was dulycalled off.
Northern Ireland maintained their 100 per cent start in Group F with a 2-0 win in Greece and sit two points clear of Romania, who beat 10-man Finland 2-0.
Hungary edged a 1-0 win in the Faroe Islands, while Switzerland triumphed 4-0 at San Marino in Tuesday's only Group E fixture.
news_articleTue, 14 Oct 2014 21:51:34 +0000268344 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEuro 2016 Qualifying Wrap: Germany stunnedArkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila found the net as Poland stunned Germany with a 2-0 victory in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Saturday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-review-germany-stunned-gibraltar-rocked
Joachim Low'sworld champions, who had laboured to a narrow 2-1 win over Scotland in their Group D opener, were below parandallowed Poland to clinch the points as they fell to a firstcompetitive defeatin19 outings.
The visitorsfell behind to Poland's first effort on target early in the second period in Warsaw whenMilik headed home from inside the area.
The Bayer Leverkusenman - who ison loan at Eredivisie championsAjax -was later withdrawn to an enthusiasticovation from the home crowd and,despite some tense moments for the hosts at theStadion Narodowy, his replacement,Mila, made sure ofthe win with two minutes to go.
Germany threw caution to the wind late on as they looked to maintain a competitive unbeaten run that stretched back to Euro 2012.
However, it was to no avail as Poland picked up their first victoryover Germany since unificationto move top of the group, leaving Low withmuch to ponder ahead of Tuesday's visit of the Republic of Ireland.
Robbie Keane scored a 12-minute hat-trick asIreland demolished Gibraltar 7-0 on Saturday, while an Akaki Khubutia own goal handed Scotland a 1-0 triumph over Georgia.
Albania missed out on the chance to go top of Group I as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Denmark.
Gianni De Biasi's men claimed a shock1-0 triumphin Portugal to get their campaign under way last month and looked set to to make it two wins from two on Saturday.
Ermir Lenjani put Albaniaahead seven minutes before half-time, but Lasse Vibe levelledwith just nine minutes left to play to ensure bothsides are tied on four points.
Serbia's campaign got off to a lacklustre start as they drew 1-1 in Armenia, while the group's remainingside, Portugal, lost 2-1 to France in a friendly fixture.
Northern Ireland sit atop Group F at the end of matchday two, having beatenFaroe Islands 2-0 in Belfast to seal their best start to a qualifying campaign for 46 years.
Goals from Gareth McAuley and Kyle Lafferty in the opening 20 minutes put Northern Ireland in control of their latest qualifierat Windsor Park.
The Faroe Islands spurned a chance to halve their deficit when Frodi Benjaminsen's penalty was superbly saved by Roy Carroll.
Finland and Romania now sit two points adrift of Northern Ireland following 1-1 draws with Greece and Hungary respectively.
news_articleSat, 11 Oct 2014 22:00:28 +0000266817 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEuro 2016 Qualifying: Danish test for Santos​Fernando Santos faces a tall order to win his opening Euro 2016 qualifier as Portugal boss with his side visiting Denmark next Tuesday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-preview-santos-faces-denmark-test-germany-face-poland
Santos was appointed as Paulo Bento's replacement last month following Portugal's humiliating 1-0 loss to Albania in their Group I opener, although he is currently subject to an eight-game ban by FIFA for misconduct during Greece's World Cup last-16 penalty shootout loss to Costa Rica.
That ban, upheld on appeal by FIFA, will see him unable to oversee things from the touchline in Saturday's friendly with France or the clash with Denmark -who Portugal have not beaten away from home since 1995.
Albania host Denmark three daysearlier hoping to inflict a similar shock on the Scandinavians before visiting a Serbia side that will be coming off a challenging away game in Armenia.
World champions Germany travel to neighbours Poland before welcoming the Republic of Ireland to the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen next Tuesday.
And coach Joachim Low is keen for his side to take command of Group D with victories in both encounters.
"Both of these games in October are extremely important," he told the German Football Association's website.
"If we are successful against Poland and then afterwards against Ireland, then we could give ourselves a cushion."
Ireland's clash with Germany comes after a meeting with international newboys Gibraltar, who then host Georgia.
Scotland, who lost 2-1 to Germany in their opening fixture,entertain Georgia and then visit Poland as they aim to build on an encouraging performance in Dortmund last time out.
Reigning European champions Spain will be expected to claim maximum points from away games with Slovakia and Luxembourg, who also meet Belarus and Macedonia respectively, in Group C.
Ukraine, beaten 1-0 by Slovakia in their opener,are arguably favourites for second spot behind Spain and will be eager to recover versus Belarus and Macedonia.
Italy,defeated by Spain in the Euro 2012 final, should be expected to continue their good start under Antonio Conte against Azerbaijan and Malta, but Group H rivals Bulgaria face much tougher assignments versus Croatia and Norway.
Norway, beaten 2-0 by Italy in theiropener, will also take on Malta while Croatia's other game is with Azerbaijan.
Netherlands suffered a surprise defeat in their opening fixture in Group A, losing 2-1 at Czech Republic, but should be confident of that setback by beating Kazakhstan and Iceland.
Trips to Turkey and Kazakhstan beckon for the Czech Republic as they seek to gain some comfort room at the top of the group and Latvia will welcome Iceland and Turkey to Riga.
Group B sees World Cup quarter-finalists Belgium open their campaign against Andorra and Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Israel travel to Cyprus and Andorra following the suspension of last month's meeting with Marc Wilmots' men due to safety fears.
Wales, meanwhile, host Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus after narrowly avoiding an embarrassing result in their 2-1 victory over Andorra.
England made a fine start to their Group E campaign with a 2-0 win at Switzerland and are likely to have little difficulty overcoming San Marino and Estonia this week, despite the absence of striker Daniel Sturridge.
Lithuania host Estonia and Slovenia, who will also be looking to inflict further pain on Vladimir Petkovic's Switzerland ahead of their trip to San Marino.
Greece, famous winners in 2004, meet Finland and Northern Ireland in Group F after coming unstuck in the opener against a Romania side that will attempt to build on their1-0 triumph in Piraeus with wins over Hungary and Finland.
Pool minnows the Faroe Islands face Northern Ireland and Hungary in their search for a first competitive win since June 2011.
Elsewhere, Group G favourites Russia take on Sweden and Moldova, and Montenegro meet Liechtenstein and Austria.
The group's other games see Austria visit Moldova and Sweden host Liechtenstein.
news_articleTue, 07 Oct 2014 08:45:56 +0000264653 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEuro 2016 Qualifying Wrap: Germany stutterGermanys Euro 2016 qualifiers started with an unconvincing 2-1 win over Scotland, while Portugal suffered a shock 1-0 home loss to Albania.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/euro-2016-qualifying-review-germany-stutter-win-albania-shock-portugal
Thomas Muller struck twice as world champions Germany stuttered against the determined Scots at Signal Iduna Park.
A 4-2 friendly defeat to Argentina on Wednesday raised questions in the Germany squad and, although Joachim Low's side were far from their best, a better display earned the hosts three points.
Muller headed Germany in front in the 18th minute of a first half they dominated, but the visitors greatly improved after the break and levelled through Ikechi Anya.
Scotland's joy lasted only four minutes, though, as Muller's scrappy second – scrambled in from five yards – was enough to defeat Gordon Strachan's plucky side, who saw Charlie Mulgrew sent off late on.
Bekim Balaj's superb volley claimed a shock 1-0 win for Albania in Portugal, with the home fans greeting the full-time whistle with intense jeers.
Gianni De Biasi's side were billed as huge underdogs against a team expected to cruise through Group I, but they left Aveiro with all three points as Balaj stole the show on a memorable day for Albania.
Balaj's winner arrived in the 52nd minute as he belted Odise Roshi's delivery past Rui Patricio, consigningPortugal to an embarrassing defeat in the absence of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gibraltar received a cruel welcome to competitive football as they were hammered 7-0 at home by a rampant Poland in Group D.
Kamil Grosicki gave the visitors an 11th-minute lead with a deflected effort and, although the hosts managed to keep Poland at bay until the break, the floodgates opened in the second half.
Grosicki doubled his tally and Lukasz Szukala added one of his own, but Robert Lewandowski stole the show by scoring four in the second half to complete Poland's biggest ever non-friendly win.
Also in Group D, Aiden McGeady's double gave Republic of Ireland the points as they began with a 2-1 triumph in Georgia.
McGeady put the visitors ahead with a tidy 24th-minute goal before an audacious strike from Tornike Okriashvili restored parity.
Everton winger McGeady netted again, though, delivering an emphatic finish from the edge of the area to give Martin O'Neill his first competitive win as manager.
Northern Ireland produced a stunning late turnaround to beat hosts Hungary 2-1 in Group F thanks to goals from Niall McGinn and Kyle Lafferty.
Substitute Tamas Priskin put the hosts ahead with a 75th-minute header, but the away side fought back and equalised through McGinn in the 81st minute before Lafferty scrambled in the winner to end an eight-game winless run.
Denmark were also forced to come from behind as they beat visitors and Group I rivals Armenia, eventually claiming a 2-1 win after Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring just after half-time.
The Danes battled back in the second half, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg netting a powerful half-volley and Thomas Kahlenberg eventually completing the comeback with a close-range header.
Claudio Ranieri's first competitive match in charge of Greece ended in despair as 10-man Romania took all three points away from Piraeus, winning 1-0 thanks to a 10th-minute penalty from Ciprian Marica, who was later sent off for two bookable offences.
Finland also began their campaign as victors, comfortably winning 3-1 at the Faroe Islands after initially falling behind just before the break.
news_articleSun, 07 Sep 2014 21:28:54 +0000247406 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comInternational Friendlies Wrap: Czechs share spoilsPavel Vrbas unbeaten start as coach of Czech Republic continued after his side claimed a draw against Finland in an international friendly.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/international-friendlies-wrap-finland-czech-republic-share-spoils
Matej Vydra and Josef Husbauer were both on the scoresheet in the first half as they cancelled out Teemu Pukki's brace to help the Czechs to a 2-2 draw at Helsingin Olympiastadion on Wednesday.
Czech Republic have drawn two consecutive games since former Viktoria Plzen coach Vrba replaced Michal Bilek in January.
It was Finland who opened the scoring in a frantic opening half of football in Helsinki after Celtic striker Pukki found the top corner of the far post in the 18th minute, albeit with some help from a deflection.
Finland's lead was short-lived, however, with West Bromwich Albion front man Vydra springing the offside trap to restore parity just a minute later.
The topsy-turvy match continued after Pukki rounded Czech goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik to put Finland ahead in the following 60 seconds.
Not to be outdone, the visiting nation leveled proceedings again and ensured honours would be even at the end of the match after Husbauer tapped home the equaliser from inside the six-yard box in the 36th minute.
Meanwhile, Belarus were big winners against Liechtenstein, routing the minnows 5-1.
Substitute Pavel Savitski set up the crushing victory, scoring two goals in the space of seven minutes as Belarus ended their four-game run without a win.
Mikhail Gordeychuk, Syarhey Kislyak and Sergey Krivets were also on target against Liechtenstein, who are now winless in 17 games.
news_articleWed, 21 May 2014 23:49:28 +0000177450 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comThree countries granted extra Europa League placeNorway, Sweden and Finland have all been allocated an additional UEFA Europa League place for next season.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/three-countries-granted-extra-europa-league-place
The news comes as part of the announcement of UEFA's Fair Play ranking, which was topped by Norway, with Sweden and Finland coming second and third respectively.
As a result each country will be granted an additional slot in the first qualifying round of the Europa League to be allocated to the teams that have won their respective domestic top-tier fair play awards.
The ranking is based on all UEFA competition matches played at both club and national team level from May 1 2013 to April 30 2014, and takes into account a variety of criteria includingpositive play, respect of the opponent, respect of the referee, behaviour of the crowd and of the team officials, as well as cautions and dismissals.
France narrowly missed out on an additional place as they finished fourth in the ranking, while England rounded off the top five.
The first qualifying round of the Europa League begins on July 3, with the draw taking place on June 23.
news_articleThu, 08 May 2014 15:50:27 +0000168658 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comKatsouranis pleased to avoid powerhousesGreece captain Kostas Katsouranis is confident of reaching UEFA Euro 2016 due to a lack of powerhouses in their qualifying group.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/katsouranis-pleased-avoid-powerhouses
The 2004 winners were drawn in Group F along with the Faroe Islands, Northern Island, Finland, Romania and Hungary.
Katsouranis believes Greece face a tricky task to each the tournament, which will be held in France, but believes the side are well prepared for the challenge.
"It's a good draw for us but we have to prove that on the pitch as well," he said.
"I believe we have what it takes to be among the final 24 teams. There are no powerhouses in our group, but there are dangerous rivals."
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill was in equally buoyant mood in what he called an "understated" group and, though they have not qualified for a major tournament since the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 44-year-old is confident of bucking that trend.
"The group's a little bit understated but there are teams in there we can compete with," he commented. "We're happy with the draw.
"Greece are the only team in recent times that have a track record of qualifications. We need to pick up points at home and learn from the mistakes of previous campaigns. I think we're well capable of doing that."
news_articleSun, 23 Feb 2014 17:39:33 +0000127725 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comEngland face Swiss in Euro 2016 qualifyingEngland boss Roy Hodgson faces a reunion with Switzerlandin qualifying for the 2016 UEFA European Championship, while defending champions Spain will meet Ukraine and Slovakia.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/holders-spain-face-ukraine-euro-2016-qualifying
Vicente del Bosque's men swept to a 4-0 victory over Italy in the 2012 final held in Kiev, to back up their 2008 success under previous boss Luis Aragones.
Spain are currently enjoying one of the most dominant eras in history, having also collected the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
Ukraine - co-hosts of the 2012 tournament with Poland - will hope to provide a stern test of the holders' credentials, while Luxembourg, the Macedonia and Belarus complete Group C.
Gibraltar are appearing in their first UEFA competition and were originally drawn to appear in Group C.
However, the island nation will instead play in Group D, as a decision had already been taken to keep them apart from Spain for political reasons.
That means Gibraltar face a mouth-watering encounter with another of the pre-tournament favourites in Germany, three-time winners of the competition.
Near neighbours Poland, along with the Republic of Ireland, appear likely to provide the biggest threat in Germany's group, while Scotland and Georgia also await Joachim Low's side.
Italy were runners-up in 2012 and face difficult Group H encounters with Croatia, Norway and Bulgaria in their attempt to go one better this time around.
Armenia were also due to play in that pool, but were moved to Group I as they cannot play in the same group as Azerbaijan due to political reasons.
In Group E, top seeds England were drawn to meet Switzerland, meaning Roy Hodgson will face a reunion with the nation he enjoyed a successful spell in charge of between 1992 and 1995.
The Netherlands, winners in 1988, were the first team to be drawn out and face challenges from the Czech Republic and Turkey in Group A.
Portugal feature in Group I along with Denmark, Serbia, Armenia and Albania.
The draw saw 53 nations split into six pots and subsequently drawn into eight groups of six and one of five. France will be partnered with the five-team group, enabling the 2016 tournament hosts to play friendlies against these countries on their 'spare' dates
The top two sides from each group will qualify automatically for the finals, together with the third-placed team with the best record against the nations first, second, fourth and fifth in their pool.
Play-offs will then be used to determine which of the eight remaining third-placed sides will make it to France.
The qualifiers will run from September 2014 to October 2015, with matches taking place between Thursday and Tuesday as part of UEFA's new 'Week of Football' format, which replaces the previous model where games were played on a Friday and Tuesday.
Euro 2016 qualifying draw in full:
Group A: Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Iceland, Latvia, Turkey, Czech Republic
Group B: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Andorra, Cyprus, Wales, Israel, Belgium
Group C: Spain, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Belarus, Slovakia, Ukraine
Group D: Germany, Gibraltar, Georgia, Scotland, Poland, Republic of Ireland
Group E: England, San Marino, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Switzerland
Group F: Greece, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland, Finland, Romania, Hungary
Group G: Russia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Austria, Sweden
Group H: Italy, Malta, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Norway, Croatia
Group I: Portugal, Albania, Armenia, Serbia, Denmark, France
news_articleSun, 23 Feb 2014 11:58:57 +0000127573 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA reveal Euro 2016 qualifying potsUEFA have revealed the seedings for next months Euro 2016 qualifying draw, with 53 competing nations split into six pots.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-reveal-euro-2016-qualifying-pots
The 2016 European Championship will be the first to feature 24 teams, with hosts France already assured of their place at the event.
Friday's draw saw holders Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, England, Portugal, Greece, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina confirmed as the nine top seeds.
Switzerland, among the seeded teams for this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, are in pot two on this occasion, together with Ukraine, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary and the Republic of Ireland.
Pot five contains Gibraltar, who will take part in a major tournament qualifying campaign for the first time.
The seeds have been determined using UEFA's national team coefficients, taking into account results from the 2010 World Cup, 2012 European Championship and 2014 World Cup qualifying.
On February 23, the teams will be drawn into nine groups – eight of six countries and one of five.
France will be partnered with the five-team group, enabling the 2016 tournament hosts to play friendlies against these countries on their 'spare' dates.
UEFA's executive committee has decreed that, for political reasons, Spain cannot play Gibraltar, and Azerbaijan cannot meet Armenia.
However, Russia and Georgia, who had refused to play each other since 2008, can be drawn together.
"I'm very pleased to say that the Russians and Georgians can play together if they are in the same group," confirmed UEFA president Michel Platini.
The top two sides from each group will qualify automatically for the finals, together with the third-placed team with the best record against the nations first, second, fourth and fifth in their pool.
Play-offs will then be used to determine which of the eight remaining third-placed sides will make it to France.
The qualifiers will run from September 2014 to October 2015.
UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying pots:
Pot 1: Spain, Germany,Netherlands, Italy, England, Portugal, Greece, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Pot 2:Ukraine, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Republic of Ireland.
Pot 3:Serbia, Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Norway, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Poland.
Pot 4: Montenegro, Armenia, Scotland, Finland, Latvia, Wales, Bulgaria, Estonia, Belarus.
Pot 5:Iceland, Northern Ireland, Albania, Lithuania, Moldova, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Cyprus.
Pot 6:Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Gibraltar.
news_articleFri, 24 Jan 2014 15:12:39 +0000114509 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comColeman rues late Wales lapse in Finland drawChris Coleman urged his Wales side to learn a harsh lesson after Riku Riskis stoppage-time goal denied them victory over Finland.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/coleman-rues-late-wales-lapse
Andy King's goal 13 minutes into the second half on Saturday looked to have given Wales victory in their first game since coach Coleman signed a new two-year contract earlier in the week.
However, Riski brought Coleman and Wales back down to earth when he made it 1-1 by racing onto a fine pass from the impressive Roman Eremenko and beating Wayne Hennessey with a clinical finish in injury time.
Finland had come closest in a drab first half when Celtic striker Teemu Pukki hit the post, but Wales improved after the break and Gareth Bale showed glimpses of his class in his first international appearance since making his world-record switch to Real Madrid in September.
Coleman cut a frustrated figure after seeing his side concede so late in the game and felt they paid the price for switching off.
He told Sky Sports 1: "One slip and we've been caught and we're gutted. The lads are gutted in the dressing room. We thought we’d done enough to win the game, but it wasn’t to be.
"They set the early pace, but I think we worked hard to get back into the game. We got a good goal and we thought it was a penalty (for a push on Simon Church early in the second half).
"You should hold on to that, one slip and we've been punished. One lapse in concentration and you’re punished.
"We learn a lesson and take the positives. I was pleased with boys who came back in and they worked hard."
news_articleSat, 16 Nov 2013 20:46:10 +000084655 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comInternational Friendly: Wales 1 Finland 1Riku Riskis last-gasp leveller denied Chris Coleman a win in his first game since signing a new deal as Finland held Wales to a 1-1 draw.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/international-friendly-wales-1-finland-1
Andy King’s second international goal early in the second half looked to have secured a friendly win for Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, but Riski latched onto a fine pass from the impressive Roman Eremenko in injury time and finished clinically to thwart Coleman’s charges.
There had been much speculation over Coleman's future as his previous contract was due to expire after this game, but he put pen to paper on a new two-year agreement this week.
Coleman, who had been linked with the vacant Crystal Palace job, would have been encouraged by Wales' second half display but Mixu Paatelainen's side refused to accept defeat.
Gareth Bale made welcome return for his first Wales performance since his record move from Real Madrid and he showed glimpses of his class.
Finland, and Eremenko in particular, also had their moments and Teemu Pukki almost put Finland in front in the first half when his shot hit the post.
In-form Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was ruled out with a virus as Coleman made five changes to the side that drew with Belgium last time out.
Eremenko was passed fit after recovering from a dental problem and he was one of only four players to retain their starting berths following last month’s defeat to France.
The visitors were unfortunate not to be in front after 14 minutes, when Wales stood off Pukki in the penalty area and the Celtic striker almost made them pay only for his right-footed strike to rattle the post.
Wales were struggling to fashion clear goalscoring opportunities, but Bale flashed a dangerous cross across the face of the goal that somehow evaded everybody after 26 minutes.
Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was finally forced into a save 10 minutes before half-time when he kept out Hal Robson-Kanu's downward header, but the goal would not have stood as Ashley Williams was penalised for a push.
Bale then cut in from the right touchline at full tilt before unleashing a vicious left-foot shot from 25 yards out that was beaten away by Hradecky.
Wales looked far more dangerous after the break and they were in front after 57 minutes when King burst into the box to head home Robson-Kanu's cross from six yards out.
Finland responded and Wayne Hennessey got done well to palm away a shot from the lively Eremenko in the 62nd minute.
Bale made another opportunity for himself when he fired wide after 77 minutes but Finland had the fiinal say at the death when Riski showed a good turn of pace to race clear and apply the finish after Eremenko had played him in.
news_articleSat, 16 Nov 2013 20:04:35 +000084660 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comInternational Friendly: Wales v FinlandWales will be looking to record just their second victory in eight matches when they welcome Finland to Cardiff on Saturday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/international-friendly-preview-wales-v-finland
Despite Wales (44th) sitting 19 places ahead of their opponents in the FIFA world rankings, the head-to-head record between the sides points towards this being a tight encounter.
Of the 11 matches to have taken place in history, the nations have four victories apiece with the remainder ending all square.
But Finland have had the upper hand in recent years, and won both of the nations' last encounters in qualification for the 2010 World Cup. Wales' last victory, meanwhile, came in Helsinki in 2002.
Chris Coleman's men picked up an impressive 1-1 away draw with Belgium in their last game - the final fixture of their failed qualification campaign for next year's World Cup - while Finland were well beaten by France in a 3-0 defeat.
However, that loss was just the Finns' second in eight matches, with the other being a 2-0 home reverse to reigning world and European champions Spain in September.
Neither country managed to book a place at Brazil 2014, so this fixture will be more about preparing for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for both managers.
And home captain Ashley Williams hopes the fixture can prove the spring board for a successful campaign.
"The way we’ve got to approach it after we didn’t qualify for the last one is that we’re looking at a fresh tournament now," he told Wales Online.
"This is the start, the first friendly before the next tournament, and I’m sure we’ll do some talking when we meet up - where we want to go and our plan for qualifying for the next Euros."
Wales manager Coleman, who suffered a raft of withdrawals ahead of their final two qualifying matches, has only had to deal with three this time around, with Boaz Myhill (Achilles), Andrew Crofts (groin) and David Vaughan (hamstring) pulling out.
That opened the door for Jack Collison, Owain Tudur Jones, Danny Ward and Emyr Huws to come into the fold, with the latter two hoping to make their debut for the senior team.
Another boost for Wales will be the return to first-team action of Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, who did not feature in the last international break due to injury.
news_articleThu, 14 Nov 2013 18:52:47 +000083980 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com